The development of microarray technology has provided an unprecedented wealth of data on gene expression in various tissue and cell types. Few studies have, however, taken full advantage of these data by selecting and then extensively characterising the functions of particular genes chosen from these microarray datasets. In this study, after analysing differentially-regulated genes revealed by microarray analysis of human mast cells activated via Fc??RI cross-linking, we chose two promising gene candidates for further research, A20 and Gem. Our group??s extensive gene expression database of major leukocytes showed that both A20 and Gem were up-regulated in other leukocyte types, and yet neither of these genes has been extensively explored in mast cells or in the immune system prior to our study. In order to investigate the first of these genes selected for further study, A20, we utilised both A20-deficient mast cells and mast cells in which A20 was over-expressed. Our findings establish for the first time that A20 is an important regulator of mast cell inflammatory responses to both LPS and Fc??RI cross-linking, and that it plays a novel role in mast cell proliferation. Our study of the second gene chosen for investigation, Gem, was conducted in a Gemdeficient mouse model developed by our group. In this study, we investigated the effect of Gem deficiency in two key immune cell types, macrophages and T-cells, complementing the work of a previous group member who investigated Gem deficiency in mast cells. Our results clearly exclude a role for Gem in macrophage and T-cell effector responses, and further establish that Gem is dispensable for in vivo inflammatory responses in models of delayed-type hypersensitivity and allergic airway inflammation. In addition to these findings, and given that the physiological role of Gem was not yet understood prior to our study, we extended our investigation to explore a potential function for Gem in the metabolic system. Using Gem-deficient mice, we found that Gem is necessary for insulin secretion from pancreatic islets. These findings confirm the potential for microarray expression data to reveal excellent gene candidates for further research and functional characterisation.

Submitted by Eduardo Pitombo Mesquita (eduardopitombo@hotmail.com) on 2017-01-17T20:22:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo_Pitombo_Versão_Protocolada.pdf: 2316608 bytes, checksum: 3b920086437b00f093d111f8fad2a0e8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Almeida (maria.socorro@fgv.br) on 2017-02-02T16:31:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo_Pitombo_Versão_Protocolada.pdf: 2316608 bytes, checksum: 3b920086437b00f093d111f8fad2a0e8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-02T16:32:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo_Pitombo_Versão_Protocolada.pdf: 2316608 bytes, checksum: 3b920086437b00f093d111f8fad2a0e8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-05 / Este trabalho tem o intuito de observar as relações entre as características do comportamento empreendedor (CCEs) e o perfil de sucesso. Mais especificamente, ele traz à luz as teorias de David McClelland, adotadas pelo Sebrae através da metodologia do programa Empretec. O estudo traz em sua metodologia uma análise das dimensões culturais observadas por Hofstede, uma análise comportamental, e define quatro indicadores de sucesso para mensurar esta relação. A metodologia aplicada foi baseada em pesquisa bibliográfica, em pesquisa de campo e dividida entre aplicação de questionários online e em métodos quantitativos de análise de dados. Com o resultado de campo, pode-se observar uma relação direta entre algumas características comportamentais e os indicadores que caracterizam um perfil de sucesso empreendedor. As principais características correlacionadas ao menos com um indicador de sucesso foram: Exigência por qualidade e eficiência, Busca por oportunidades e iniciativa, Planejamento e Monitoramento Sistemático e Independência e autoconfiança. Além destas relações, a hipótese de haver mais empreendedores por oportunidade do que por necessidade foi validada, confirmando o potencial do empreendedorismo nacional.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:07:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Ilidio Macaringue2.pdf: 2105910 bytes, checksum: 33a47dc0809708ccb66c890d1c9d646b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In this paper, our focus lies on the analysis of linguistics politics and the sociolinguistics situation in Mozambique, due to the confluence of several languages and cultures, to understand the processes of nativization and nationalization of Portuguese language in that country. Throughout the work, we have used, on a regular basis, the term nationalization in order to highlight the underlying processes to the ownership of Portuguese in Mozambique, viewing the ideological and political basis of being a n official language and a national unity, State and Mozambican language. The interest in studying the topic is related to the ambivalence in the epistemological foundations of the country s linguistics politics, which called for formalizing the Portuguese language without nationalizing it, and nationalized Bantu languages, also known as indigenous languages. The official discourse typifies them as national languages, despite being geographically fragmented, i.e. without national territorial extension, without officializing them. Moreover, for the fact that we work professionally with Portuguese language, and that day by day there is evidence that the Portuguese in Mozambique walks on the sidelines of the official goal, i.e., the alleged replication of the Eu ropean standard characteristics, adopted as standard and official language and as a national unity in 1975, the nation s independence day, reason for which it is being modified by customary law and thespeakers usage as a result of crossing different languages and cultures, taking into account some of the studies, which include Goncalves (1996a, 1996b, 1998, 2010), Firmino (2006) and Mendes (2010). The analyzed data, arising from literary excerpts, newspapers and magazines, allowed us to assert that the European Portuguese is being nationalized as a result of its culturallinguistics and ideological-symbolic appropriation by Mozambicans, hence the rising of a different Portuguese in that country, under the perspective of Caesar and Cavalcanti (2007), who refer to different dialects of Portuguese not as variation or dialects, but as other languages, legitimated by socio-cultural and contextual use of language. Therefore, Mozambique s Portuguese should be regulated similarly to different treatments that the also called Camoes s language is assumed around the world. Also, the results showed, for example, that language politics are disjointed with the current sociolinguistic context of that country. Therefore, there is an urgent need of revising it in order t o cover linguistic and cultural diversity and frame many people, who are on the margins of a homogenized society, in the State s political and administrative system, taking into account that the culture that unites is also the culture that segregates. In order to understand the sociolinguistic contours that are taking place in that country, we resorted to various methodological procedures, such as a qualitative research, aided by Bortoni-Ricardo s interpretivist (2008) and Ginzburg s (1989) evidentiary paradigms. / Neste trabalho, o nosso foco radica na análise das políticas linguísticas e da situação sociolinguística e sociocultural em Moçambique decorrente da confluência de várias línguas e culturas para compreender os processos de nativização/ nacionalização da língua portuguesa no país. Ao longo do trabalho usámos, com regularidade, o termo nacionalização tendo em vista evidenciar os processos subjacentes à apropriação do Português em Moçambique, perspectivando o pressuposto político-ideológico de ser uma língua oficial e de unidade nacional, língua de Estado e da nacionalidade moçambicana. O interesse em pesquisar a temática prende-se com as ambivalências das bases epistemológicas da política linguística do país que preconizou a oficialização do Português sem o nacionalizar e nacionalizou as línguas bantu, também designadas línguas autóctones, e que o discurso oficial as tipifica como línguas nacionais, não obstante estarem fragmentadas geograficamente, ou seja, sem extensão territorial nacional, sem as oficializar. Mais ainda, pelo facto de profissionalmente trabalharmos na área da língua portuguesa e o dia-a-dia demonstrar evidências de que o Português em Moçambique caminha à margem do desiderato oficial, isto é, a pretensa replicação dos traços característicos da norma europeia adoptada como norma-padrão, língua oficial e de unidade nacional em 1975, ano da independência do país, razão pela qual está sendo modificado pelo uso e direito costumeiro dos falantes como resultado do cruzamento de diferentes línguas e culturas tendo em conta alguns dos estudos, dos quais destacamos os de Gonçalves (1996a, 1996b, 1998, 2010), Firmino (2006) e Mendes (2010). Os dados analisados, decorrentes dos excertos de textos literários, de jornais e de uma revista permitem-nos asseverar que o Português Europeu está sendo nacionalizado em decorrência da sua apropriação linguístico-cultural e simbólico-ideológica pelos moçambicanos, daí o surgimento de outra língua portuguesa no país. Esta perspectiva é de César e Cavalcanti (2007), na medida em que se referem aos diferentes falares do Português não como variedades ou dialectos, mas outras línguas legitimadas pelos usos socioculturais e contextuais da língua. Por isso, o Português de Moçambique deve ser normatizado. Igualmente, os resultados da pesquisa mostraram, por exemplo, que as políticas linguísticas estão desarticuladas com o actual contexto sociolinguístico do país, por conseguinte urge a necessidade de serem revistas para darem cobertura à diversidade linguístico-cultural e enquadrar no sistema político-administrativo do Estado muitas pessoas que se sentem à margem da sociedade homogeneizada, tendo em conta que a cultura que une é também a cultura que separa. E para compreendermos os contornos sociolinguísticos que estão a ocorrer no país recorremos a diversos procedimentos metodológicos, tais como a pesquisa qualitativa, auxiliada pelos paradigmas interpretativista de Bortoni-Ricardo (2008) e indiciário de Ginzburg (1989).

The overarching goal of this thesis is to develop a diagnostic and predictive model to quantify the estuarine CO2 dynamics across scales – from catchment to the globe – using an approach that explicitly resolves the strong physical and biogeochemical gradients typically observed in these systems.Chapter 1 provides fundamental definitions and descriptions of estuaries, as well as an assessment of their role in the global carbon cycle. It also raises the specific objectives and research questions tackled in the present study. Chapter 2 presents the rationale behind the novel modelling approach (C-GEM, Carbon-Generic Estuary Model) developed in the framework of this thesis. First, the dominant processes that control the estuarine biogeochemistry in estuaries are discussed in detail. Then, the power of reactive-transport models (RTMs) in understanding and quantifying the estuarine biogeochemical functioning is illustrated on the basis of local modelling studies. Finally, trends in estuarine biogeochemical dynamics across different geometries and environmental scenarios are briefly explored with C-GEM and results are discussed in the context of improving the modelling of estuarine carbon dynamics at regional and global scales. In Chapter 3, a detailed description of C-GEM, both in terms of structure and set-up, is provided and model’s performance is successfully evaluated through comprehensive model-data and model-model comparisons in the macro-tidal Scheldt estuary (BE/NL). In Chapter 4, C-GEM is combined with a generic set of forcing conditions and parameter values to quantify the carbon dynamics (net ecosystem metabolism, CO2 exchange at the air-water interface, carbon filtering capacity) in three idealized estuaries subject to temperate climatic conditions. Their hydro-geometrical characteristics span the wide diversity of estuarine morphological characteristics. Model results are used to upscale the estuarine CO2 dynamics under present-day conditions and to quantify the response of the estuarine filter to future atmospheric CO2, land use and climate change scenarios. In Chapter 5, C-GEM is applied to derive estimations of carbon export and CO2 outgassing from all tidal estuaries discharging in the North Sea. Overall, our results suggest that the estuarine carbon filtering capacity and the contribution of these land-ocean transition systems to the atmospheric CO2 budget might not be as high as previously thought. Finally, a conclusive chapter (Chapter 6) provides a synthesis of the key findings and arguments projected by the present research work. Moreover, recommendations are given in the light of further applications of the modelling approach developed during this thesis. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, this paper examines differences in entrepreneurial perceptions (fear of failure, opportunity perception, self-efficacy, public opinion) between CEE and non-CEE countries, before and after the 2008 recession, as well as the effects of these perceptions on entrepreneurial motivation and overall levels of activity. The results suggest that CEE countries have systematically more pessimistic outlooks in terms of fear of failure and opportunity perception, but no difference from non-CEE countries in self-efficacy and public opinion. Additionally, most of the difference in fear of failure and opportunity perception, along with an increase in necessity-motivated entrepreneurship, comes after the recession, suggesting less durability and resilience of optimistic entrepreneurial perceptions in CEE countries. Finally, there is evidence of a higher threshold for a perceived opportunity to become a business reality in these post-socialist CEE countries.

The subject of this diploma thesis is to optimize the shield of asynchronous motor. In the thesis are given results of modal and the strain-stress analysis made for model of the shield, which is currently produced. To resolve this issue was used CAE programming system Pro/MECHANICA, which is based on method of geometric elements – GEM. The main output of this work is proposal of two new optimized shields of asynchronous motor and for these are presented results of modal analyse and the strain-stress analysis. Part of the thesis is design and technical-economic evaluation of casting methods for new shield production.

In preparation for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) at CERN, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Detector is undergoing a series of upgrades to its existing infrastructure, and is adding in several completely new subdetector systems. The first of these new systems, called GE1/1, is a series of 144 gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors, arranged as 36 two-detector "superchambers" in each of the muon endcaps of CMS. These detectors are a subtype of micropattern gas detectors, and consist of three layers of "GEM foils", thin sheets of polyimide coated with 5 um of copper on each side and chemically etched with holes of 50 - 70 um diameter at a pitch of 140 um. These layers are stacked on top of a printed circuit board (PCB) readout and sealed within a gastight volume that is filled with Ar:CO2 70:30, and a high voltage is applied to the foils to create electric fields within the GEM detectors. When a muon enters the detector and ionizes the gas within, the ionized electrons encounter these fields and multiply in Townsend avalanches at each successive foil layer, until they are read out at the readout PCB at a gain of ~10^4. In early 2017, a demonstrator system known as the "slice test" was installed into the negative endcap. Consisting of 10 GEM detectors, the two-year-long slice test served as both a proof of concept for the GE1/1 system and an invaluable learning experience that would permanently impact not only the GE1/1 project, but future GEM systems GE2/1 and ME0 as well. During the slice test, it was observed that readout channels were being lost in the course of operation to such a degree that the operational lifetime of the system was in serious jeopardy. These losses were attributed to damage to the front-end readout ASIC (VFAT) inputs, caused propagating electrical discharges within the detectors, and a dedicated campaign to study the discharges was launched. The results of this study will be presented in this dissertation. A campaign to mitigate these discharges and their resulting damage was launched. In order to protect the sensitive VFAT from damage, several external protection circuits were proposed and thoroughly tested. The results of these tests, which are presented herein, determined that a series of resistors totaling 470 Ohms would be installed on the VFAT hybrid. When coupled with an additional 200 kOhm resistor on the HV filter, this reduced the probability of damage following a discharge from 93% to 3% As GE2/1 and ME0 are not due to be installed for another few years, more complex discharge-prevention measures can be put into place. As such, the following measures have been examined, and results will be discussed herein: A new, larger VFAT hybrid is being manufactured, whose larger surface area can accommodate more robust protection circuits than those considered and used for GE1/1. As well, double-segmented GEM foils, in which both the top and bottom of each foil is segmented into < 100 cm^2 sectors that are separated by resistors, were examined for use in the detectors. These double-segmented foils were found to introduce a cross-talk signal in the detectors that results in false signals being treated as true signals, which causes a saturation of the GEM bandwidth and results in unwanted dead time. These cross-talk signals, as well as the compromises made to reduce the cross-talk while maintaining robust discharge prevention, will be discussed. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Background: Despite the societal progress made in recent decades, a gender gap in entrepreneurship persists. In Europe, there are fewer female entrepreneurs than male entrepreneurs. This issue is significant as female entrepreneurship substantially impacts economic development and social well-being. In this paper, we will investigate how different socioeconomic and individual factors affect female total entrepreneurial activity in European countries. Through our research, we aim to provide recommendations to increase the number of female entrepreneurs, remove gender-based barriers, and foster societal progress and economic growth in Europe. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of socioeconomic and individual factors on total entrepreneurial activity for women in European countries. We will specifically analyze the impacts of government support, cultural approval, insufficient access to finance, networking, training &amp; education, and fear of failure on female entrepreneurship. Method: Using publicly available GEM data, we use a panel data study of 31 European countries and seven years, from 2013 to 2019, to investigate how socioeconomic and individual factors influence female total entrepreneurial activity. By utilizing the Hausman test and LM test, we statistically determine that the Random Effects Model (REM) is the most appropriate model to predict our data. Conclusion: The results of the REM show that both Networking and Training &amp; Education have significant positive effects on female total entrepreneurial activity in European countries. We recommend implementing entrepreneurship education in middle or high school curricula to expose students to entrepreneurship experiences and encourage young women to pursue entrepreneurship as a career. Additionally, we recommend tailoring government policies and programs specifically to women to support female entrepreneurial activities.

No description available.

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have been emerging as a promising bedrock to provide opportunities for several types of accelerators that spans across various domains such as finance, web-search, and data center networking, among others. Research interests facilitating the development of accelerators on FPGAs are increasing significantly, in particular, because of their effectiveness with a variety of applications, flexibility, and high performance per watt. However, several key challenges remain that hinder their large-scale deployment. Overcoming these challenges would enable them to match the pervasiveness of graphics processor units (GPUs), their principal competitors in this arena. One of the primary reasons responsible for the slow adaptation by programmers has been the programming model, which uses a low-level hardware description language (HDL). Using HDLs require a detailed understanding of logic design and significant effort to implement and verify the behavioral models, with the latter growing with its complexity. Recent advancements in high-level language synthesis (HLS) tools have addressed this challenge to a considerable extent by allowing the programmers to write their applications in a high-level language named OpenCL. These applications are then compiled and synthesized to create a bitstream that configures the FPGA. This thesis characterizes the efficacy of HLS compiler optimizations that can be employed to improve the performance of these applications. The synthesized hardware from OpenCL kernels is fundamentally different from traditional hardware such as CPUs and GPUs, which exploit instruction level parallelism (ILP) thread level parallelism (TLP), or data level parallelism (DLP) for performance gains. FPGAs typically use deep pipelining (i.e., ILP) for performance. A stall in this pipeline may severely undermine the performance of applications. Thus, it is imperative to identify and remove any such bottlenecks. To this end, this thesis presents and discusses a software-centric framework to debug and profile the synthesized designs generated using HLS tools. This thesis proposes basic code patterns, including a timestamp and a scalable framework, which can be plugged easily into OpenCL kernels, to collect and process run-time information dynamically. This scalable framework has a small overhead for area utilization and frequency but provides fine-grained information about the bottlenecks and latencies in design. Additionally, although HLS tools have improved programmability, this may come at the cost of performance or area utilization. This thesis addresses this design trade-off via a comparative study of a hand-coded design in HDL and an architecturally similar, tool-generated design using an OpenCL compiler in the application area of 3D-stencil (i.e., structured grid) computation. Experiments in this thesis show that the performance of an OpenCL approach can achieve 95% of the peak attainable performance of a microkernel for multiple problem sizes. In comparison to the OpenCL approach, an HDL approach results in approximately 50% less memory usage and only 2% better performance on average. / MS